NDP calls for inquiry into Tories’ pandemic response

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This article was published 17/11/2021 (1461 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ahead of next Tuesday’s speech from the throne, the opposition New Democrats have released their own version that calls for an inquiry into Manitoba’s pandemic response.

“It is often said that those who fail to learn from history will end up repeating it,” said the party’s alternative throne speech, released Wednesday.

“With recommendations from this independent inquiry we can make positive and lasting changes to improve the lives of Manitoba families.”

The inquiry would look at the entire government’s approach to the pandemic and review provincial decisions and actions that contributed to higher case counts and deaths, larger outbreaks, longer lockdowns and more stress on Manitoba’s hospitals and health-care workers, it said.

If the Progressive Conservative government fails to call a “robust” inquiry led by independent, non-partisan experts into how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba, the NDP will call one if it wins the next provincial election and forms government, Leader Wab Kinew said in a press release.

Throughout the pandemic, the acuity of mental illness, addictions and overdose deaths have increased, the speech said; the number of overdose deaths doubled in 2020 and Manitoba is track to exceed that number in 2021, it said.

Meanwhile, the number of Manitobans without housing has increased.

“Manitobans want a government that learns from their mistakes and fixes problems instead of making them worse,” Kinew said in the press release.

“Our province had some of the worst outcomes in the country — we have a responsibility to those who lost loved ones to find out why,” he said. “This inquiry would look forward and give us recommendations for a brighter future and a more resilient health-care system. We can’t change what happened in the pandemic but we can learn from it. We can’t afford not to.”

Later Wednesday, Premier Heather Stefanson was asked about holding an inquiry. She responded by saying her government would focus on fighting the virus.

“We’re in a fourth wave right now. We need to ensure that we’re expending our resources and our time, effort and energy to ensuring that we’re focusing on the safety and health of Manitobans,” she said.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­― Staff